1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet cartridge provided with an ink jet head, and an ink jet apparatus using this cartridge.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, in a calculator, a word processor, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, a printer, and other various electronic apparatuses provided with an image output part for performing recording on a record medium, an ink jet recording method has been extensively utilized in the image output part so that low-noise high-speed recording is possible.
In the ink jet recording method, it is general to use an ink jet cartridge in which the image output part can be disposed to be compact.
FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing a conventional ink jet cartridge. FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing the exploded state of the ink jet cartridge shown in FIG. 27.
As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, a head cartridge 110 is constituted of an ink jet head 101 provided with an ink discharge port 103 for discharging liquids such as an ink, a head holder 102 as a head holding member with the ink jet head 101 attached thereto, a flexible cable 104 bonded to the ink jet head 101 and attached to the head holder 102, and a tank holder 109 as a tank holding member, detachably attached to the head holder 102, for mounting thereon an ink tank. The ink jet head 101 includes: an element substrate provided with a heat converting element, a piezo element and other energy generating elements for generating an energy utilized to discharge the ink from the ink discharge port 103; and a grooved top plate provided with a groove part constituting an ink flow path, a wall part forming an ink flow path wall, and a hollow part forming a common liquid chamber for supplying the ink to the ink flow path, and the ink flow path and common liquid chamber are formed by bonding the element substrate to the grooved top plate. Moreover, the grooved top plate is integrally formed with an orifice plate provided with a plurality of discharge ports which communicate with the ink flow path.
Moreover, one end of the flexible cable 104 is bonded to the ink jet head 101, and the bonded part of the flexible cable 104 and ink jet head 101 is disposed inside the head holder 102. One surface of the other end of the flexible cable 104 is provided with a plurality of contact pads 105 electrically connected to contact pads which are disposed on an ink jet apparatus main body. When the ink jet cartridge 110 is attached to a carriage disposed on the ink jet apparatus, the contact pad 105 contacts the main body side contact part (not shown) of the ink jet apparatus, so that a signal for discharging the ink via the ink discharge port 103 can be transmitted to the ink jet head 101 through the contact pad 105.
On the other hand, an opening 108 for passing the flexible cable 104 is formed in the surface of the head holder 102 other than the surface on which the ink jet head 101 is disposed. The part of the flexible cable 104 provided with a plurality of contact pads 105 is drawn to the outside of the head holder 102 from the inside of the head holder 102 through the opening 108, and the part of the flexible cable 104 provided with a plurality of contact pads 105 forms an exposed part 104a exposed to the outside of the head holder 102.
Additionally, in the constitution of the above-described ink jet cartridge, the ink jet head is fixed by the engagement part molded in the head holding member, but in this constitution, the positioning of the head depends on the precision of the engagement part, and the mold processing precision must be set to be very high.
Moreover, the head positioning is performed using the molded surface as a reference, but a strain is sometimes generated in the molded surface of a molded material. When the strain is large, the desired attachment direction of the head is not obtained, a deviation is generated in a discharge direction, and it cannot necessarily be said that the productivity is high. Furthermore, particularly in the ink jet apparatus in which a plurality of ink jet cartridges are mounted on the carriage, the deviation of the head attachment direction in each ink jet cartridge causes a deviation in a jet position. Therefore, the attachment direction of the head to the ink jet cartridge needs to be set with a higher precision, and the simple constitution of the ink jet cartridge has been demanded in which the head attachment direction can be arranged with the high precision.
Wherefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet cartridge with an ink jet head attached thereto, in which the ink jet head is easily positioned with a high precision and high-quality recording is possible, and further to provide an ink jet apparatus with the ink jet cartridge used therein in a simple constitution and at a low cost. To achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet cartridge comprising: an ink jet head including a plurality of arranged discharge ports for discharging ink, an element substrate provided with a plurality of energy generating elements for generating an energy to discharge the ink, and a base plate for supporting the element substrate; an ink tank holding member for holding an ink tank for containing the ink; and a head holding member for connecting the ink tank holding member to the ink jet head. In the ink jet cartridge, by sandwiching the ink jet head by the ink tank holding member and the head sandwiching member, the ink jet head is elastically supported in a head holding direction.
Moreover, the base plate is preferably inclined with respect to the head holding direction. Further preferably, the ink tank holding member includes an ink supply tube for introducing the ink to the ink jet head, the ink jet head includes an ink flow inlet port for introducing the ink into the ink jet head from the ink tank, an elastic member is disposed between the ink flow inlet port and the ink supply tube, and the head is elastically supported by the elastic force of the elastic member in a state where the head is sandwiched by the ink tank holding member and head holding member.
Furthermore, the ink jet head is preferably fixed to the ink jet cartridge using a force by a rotation moment.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an ink jet apparatus comprising: the above-described ink jet cartridge; and record material conveyance means for conveying a record material which receives the liquid discharged from the ink jet head.
The ink jet cartridge is mounted on the ink jet apparatus in an attachable/detachable state. Moreover, there is also provided an ink jet apparatus comprising: the above-described ink jet cartridge; and recovery means for recovering the ink jet head of the ink jet cartridge. The ink jet cartridge is mounted on the ink jet apparatus in the attachable/detachable state.
Furthermore, the recovery means comprises suction recovery means, or a wiper blade for wiping the surface of the ink jet head provided with a discharge port.
Additionally, when the recovery means comprises the wiper blade, in the ink jet cartridge, a wiper cleaner for cleaning the wiper blade is preferably disposed between the head holding member and the ink jet head.
Moreover, a step is further preferably disposed on the ink jet head side of the wiper cleaner.